I don't expect this to happen until the summer (I just moved into a new house so I've been busy), but I wanted to get out how I expect the rules to go so people can pick over them.

The tournament will last 5 weeks only. The emphasis here is speed.

Rather than completing entire games (with one exception I'll mention later), we will be playing individual sections. The level or section must be completed as fast as possible -- this will be the only metric used to give rankings. The tasks could range from "complete level 5" to "score 10,000 points" to even "obtain the black key". This will enable more repeatability and optimization -- it is easier to optimize a 3 minute run than it is a 45 minute run.

In every case a save state will be provided and recording will start from the save state. Given this is an unusual setup, the week before things start there will be a "technical test" round a week before to ensure every competitor knows how things work.

There will be a new game every week, chosen by myself. There will be no break between games. Getting everything up and running for the next round to start recording is part of the challenge.

In addition to the 5 games changed by the week, there will be one 'long-running' game that will last the entire tournament. Rather than picking the game myself I will post a list of candidates during the technical test round. When sending their entry, players should also vote on one of the candidate games. The game obtaining the most votes will be used as the long-running game. Ties will be broken by random number generator.

Unlike the other games, the long-running game should be played all the way through. Incomplete games may be sent in which case the number of stages completed will be used as an additional metric to rank entries.